2026 Speakers
Ms Galaletsang Phakedi is the founder and Director of Phakedi Attorneys Incorporated. She is an admitted attorney and Notary Public. She was appointed as an Acting Judge of the Labour Court of South Africa in December 2023 and to date she has presided over complex labour disputes with distinction.
She possesses a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and a National Diploma in Language Practice from the University of South Africa (UNISA), and currently finalizing her dissertation for a Master's degree (LLM) with specialization in Corporate Law. She completed the CCMA Commissioner’s course with Stellenbosch University in March 2023 and completed the mediation training with Mediation in Motion accredited by University of the Western Cape in 2024.
Ms Phakedi completed her articles of clerkship at the Office of the State Attorneys in Johannesburg, where she gained extensive experience in legal services. She has been in the legal fraternity since 2007, having previously worked for the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development in various roles as a Court clerk, Admin Officer, Labour Relations Officer and Judge’s Secretary at the Labour court.
She participates in mentoring law students through the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges (SACIAWJ) and Black Lawyers Association Student Chapters.
Dr Judge Graham Moshoana - Judge of the High Court of South Africa
Judge Graham Nasious Moshoana Is a judge of the Gauteng Division of the High Court. Judge Moshoana was admitted as an attorney in 1995 and practiced for 22 years. His legal career began at Moseneke & Partners as a candidate attorney in 1993. He moved on to start his own practice and served as director until 2017. Judge Moshoana’s legal career displays a commitment to labour-related issues. He served as a Commissioner for the Commission of Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) for four years. Beginning in 2007, he served as an acting judge of the Labour Court. He was appointed permanently to the Labour Court in 2017. Moshoana began acting in the High Court from 2022 onwards, serving five terms. Judge Moshoana has also co-authored a book on labour law, entitled The Role of Labour Court in the Transformative Age, which explores the role of labour courts in South Africa and Namibia. In addition to his BProc from the University of Limpopo, LLB from Wits and LLM from UJ, Moshoana holds a higher diploma in labour law and a diploma in corporate law from UJ. Adding to that list, he is currently reading for an LLD in mercantile law. Undoubtedly the largest question that will loom over Judge Moshoana at the JSC interviews is his experience. While he has been practicing law for some time, he has only been serving as a permanent judge in the Labour Court since 2017 and as an acting judge of the High Court since 2022. Acting experience is a common question to come up in interviews.
Comrade Michael Madala Shingange joined the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) as a member in 1995 and was elected Chairperson of the Giyani Branch the same year. He held this position until 1998 when he was transferred to the Pietersburg Branch under the auspices of the Public Health Sector. From 1999 to 2001, he served as Secretary of the Groothoek Hospital Branch, and then as Chairperson until 2002. That same year, he joined Lebowakgomo Hospital as Acting Secretary and later Chairperson until 2005. He then moved to Van Velden Hospital, where he served as Chairperson of the Tzaneen Branch.
In 2006, he served as Regional Deputy Chairperson of the Lowveld Region. By 2008, he was the Provincial Deputy Chairperson of Limpopo, and later served as Acting Chairperson of the province from 2009 to 2011; then subsequently as Provincial Chairperson until 2014. At NEHAWU’s Special National Congress in June 2014, he became First Deputy President, and at the NEHAWU 11th National Congress in June 2017, he was re-elected to the same position. In additional to his leadership roles, he represented workers in the Public Health Sector at the Public Health and Social Development Sectoral Bargaining Council (PHSDSBC) as a Chief Negotiator and Vice-Chairperson of Labour until 2018. In 2018, he was elected First Deputy President of COSATU at its 13th National Congress. He was elected President of NEHAWU at its 12th National Congress in November 2021. Furthermore, he was re-elected as the 1st Deputy President of COSATU at its 14th National Congress in 2022 and serves as a Central Committee Member of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and Vice President of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), elected in March 2023.
Dr Louis Koen is a Lecturer in the Department of Public Law. His research primarily focuses on the interaction
between sustainable development, including attaining decent work, and
international economic law. He focuses on how the branches of international
economic law can contribute to or undermine the achievement of sustainable
development, with a special focus on vulnerable groups such as informal economy
workers. He has presented at various international and local conferences on
sustainable development, labour and international economic law and publishes on
these topics.
Ms Laetitia Fourie is the Director of the Centre for Labour Law at the University of the Free State, where she manages short learning programmes in Labour and Commercial Law and advances accessible legal education. Alongside this role, she lectures in the Department of Mercantile Law and serves as project coordinator of the Disability Rights Unit, strengthening her longstanding commitment to disability advocacy and inclusion. An admitted attorney of the High Court of South African, she holds an LLB degree (Cum Laude), an LLM in Mercantile Law (with specialisation in Labour Law), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning. Currently completing her PhD at Leiden University in the Netherlands, Laetitia is advancing a comparative legal study on disability rights in employment. As a dedicated scholar in Disability and Labour Law, she has published several academic articles and contributed book chapters on disabilities, albinism, and labour law.
Frikkie De Bruin is the General Secretary of the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) – an independent organization that was established in terms of the South African Labour Relations Act. The main objective of the organization is to maintain sound labour relations practices within the public service. More specifically, the PSCBC negotiates Agreements on the conditions of employment of public service employees, including medical aid benefits. Frikkie formed part of the negotiating team establishing the PSCBC and was deployed as General Secretary in 2010. He is the President of the Labour and Employment Relations Association of South Africa (LERASA). He serves as an EXCO member of the International Labour and Employment Relations Association a subsidiary of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Frikkie is also an Executive Committee Member of the National Association of Bargaining Councils (NABC) in South Africa and a member of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa (IODSA). He completed his Labour Law Masters (LLM) at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, with his treatise on a Comparative Study of Minimum Services in the Public Service. In addition, he has had significant achievements in the areas of mediation, facilitation and skills development, lending to his vast experience and expertise in strategic planning, operational execution, labour relations, dispute resolution/prevention and policy development.
Tanya Venter is an Advocate of the High Court and CEO of Tokiso Dispute Settlement (Pty) Ltd. Tanya has deep experience and a special interest in presiding over matters concerning discrimination, fraud and corruption, particularly at an executive level. Tanya is a Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) internationally accredited commercial mediator (UK), a member of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners (ICFP), an associate member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and certified by the Association of Workplace Investigations (USA). Tanya previously chaired the Environmental Monitoring Committee during the construction of the Medupi Power Station and is also a mediator and arbitrator on the dispute resolution panel of the Department of Environmental Affairs (National Environmental Management Act, Chapter 4). Tanya is currently chair of the Board of Futurelect. She previously sat on the Board of the Ombudsman for Banking Services. Tanya was previously Vice President of the South African Society of Labour Law (SASLAW) and the President of the Gauteng Chapter and was awarded honorary membership to SASLAW. She previously sat on the National Dispute Settlement Practitioners Council at the University of Stellenbosch. She has overseen large dispute resolution projects in multiparty environments, including but not limited to the mining, construction, professional services and insurance industries. Tanya has acted in the Labour Court.
Neil Coetzer is the Head of the Employment practice at Cowan-Harper-Madikizela. He specializes in employment law and acts for and advises multinationals, corporates, NGOs, SMMES, Unions and individuals across all of the major sectors. His areas of interest include strikes, restructuring exercises and collective bargaining. He has had extensive interactions with Unions and has successfully managed and advised on several major disputes, restructuring exercises, collective bargaining processes, strikes and strike avoidance strategies. In 2018 and 2020 he sat as an Acting Judge of the Labour Court, and was a member of the Gauteng Chapter of the South African Society for Labour Law during 2020 to 2022 before taking over the team at Cowan-Harper-Madikizela.
Sinazo Madlanga is a Senior Associate in the firm’s Public Risk and Compliance Practice, with over six years’ post-admission experience.
She specialises in public law, particularly administrative law and public procurement, and advises organs of state on statutory compliance and risk mitigation. Sinazo manages administrative review matters arising from alleged irregularities in tender processes, including defending procurement-related reviews, conducting investigations, and leading consequence management processes arising from such irregularities.
She also has experience in commercial litigation, public sector employment matters and regulatory advisory work.”
Johan Biggs, is a partner at MBA Incorporated, in Johannesburg. He is a goal orientated person who seeks to build long terms relationships with clients and with a high degree of professional pride. He has had a great success rate in winning matters in all the Labour Courts nationwide and have recently appeared in Labour Courts in Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. He has a national footprint with CCMA and bargaining council appearances in Kokstad, Knysna, Lydenburg Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Harrismith in addition to constantly appearing for clients in Johannesburg and Pretoria.
Ajay Makka is an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa, practising at the Johannesburg Bar since 2013. Based in Sandton, he brings extensive experience in employment, administrative and constitutional law, with a career spanning both the Bar and leading law firms. Prior to joining the Bar, he served as CEO of AM Inc, a firm known for its dynamic and innovative approach to litigation, and held directorship roles at Bowman Gilfillan and Hofmeyr Herbstein and Gihwala Inc, where he specialised in employment law. Ajay holds an LLM in Commercial Law from the University of South Africa and a BA LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is recognised for his strong expertise in corporate and employment law, underpinned by a consistent commitment to excellence in legal practice.
Nkhetheni Muthavhi, Deputy General Secretary of SAMWU, is a committed and influential leader focused on advancing the rights of local government employees. Born near Thoyandou in Limpopo, he developed a strong work ethic early on. He studied at Tshadama Secondary School and earned a National Diploma in Municipal Administration, later completing a Bachelor of Business Administration and a postgraduate diploma in Labour Relations from UNISA.
He began working as a petrol attendant before joining Magnet Projects in 2003 at the Pretoria West Power Station, where he rose through roles to become Superintendent for Production. His activism started in school through COSAS, SASCO, and ANC Youth League structures.
Muthavhi joined SAMWU in 2004 and steadily advanced into leadership, serving in regional and provincial roles before becoming Deputy General Secretary. He now sits on key committees, including the Amanzi Bargaining Council.
He champions digital transformation to improve member access, communication, and efficiency. He also promotes financial sustainability through investment strategies, improved shop steward training, gender representation, and youth participation. His vision is to position SAMWU as the leading union in local government, strengthening worker representation and organisational effectiveness.
Maruping John Tshipo is an experience labour relations practitioner within the public sector at the Republic of South Africa with more than 20 years of experience in labour relations management. He currently serves as Deputy Director for Labour Relations in the Office of the Premier, North West Provincial Government, where he provides strategic guidance while monitoring and evaluating compliance with labour relations prescripts on employee misconducts, grievances, collective bargaining, dispute resolution, labour law policy research and facilitate labour relations training across twelve provincial departments. Maruping holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Labour Law from University of Johannesburg, Postgraduate Diploma in Management from North West University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management from the University of Pretoria. Certificate in Labour Dispute Resolution Practice from Stellenbosch University. Certificate in Leadership Development from the University of the Witwatersrand, and He further completed Certificates Programmes in Human Resource Management, Law and Labour Relations Management with the University of South Africa. His academic journey also includes a National Diploma in Agricultural Management from Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Business Administration at North West University. Maruping combines strategic insight with a people-focused leadership style to ensure professional growth and labour relations excellence. He is an active member of SASLAW and the Institute of People Management (IPM).
Bertha Shabangu, Tshwane University of Technology: South Africa
Bertha Shabangu is a proud mother and wife. She holds an LLB and LLM - Labour Law and currently an LLD candidate at the University of Pretoria. She is an Admitted Attorney and Notary Public of the High Court of SA dedicated to maintaining the highest professional standard. Over her 17 years’ legal career, she has gained extensive experience in a wide range of legal fields including, general litigation, employment & labour law, corporate and commercial law and ADR. She has enjoyed particular exposure to labour law, and is acknowledged amongst her peers as a specialist in this field. She held various positions such as Legal Mediator, Head IR, Legal and HR at Unica Iron & Steel (Pty) Ltd, Labour Law Advisor & Head of Employment Unit at the South African Medical Association (SAMA), Senior Manager: ER at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). She is currently the Director: Employee Relations at the Tshwane University of Technology and a Part-time Industrial Relations Lecturer at UJ. She is a member of the South African Society for Labour Law (SASLAW) and previously served briefly as a member of th Dispute Management Committee at the PHDSBC and PSCBC during her tenure as HOU at SAMA.
As part of her professional development, she undertook a mediation training course hosted by the University of Cape Town in 2018, thus an accredited Mediator. She was nominated to participate in the UJ’s Women in Leadership Programme in 2024 as one of the 20 UJ women leaders, wherein she had an opportunity to sharpen her leadership skills.
Phil Tshikotshi, associate vice president, HR at Startek, joined the company in April 2017. He previously worked in human resource management roles at Aegis Outsourcing and AOL. He has extensive experience in human resource management, customer services, and team leader operations. Phil holds a Postgraduate Diploma in business management from Regent Business School and MAP Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services from Wits Business School.
Work
2017 - Present Associate Vice President, Human Resources, Startek
2015 - 2017 Senior Manager, Human Resources, Aegis Outsourcing South Africa
2013 - 2015 Human Resource Manager, Aegis Outsourcing South Africa
2009 - 2013 Customer Service Manager, Operations, Aegis (CCN/South Africa)
2008 - 2009 Team Leader, Operations, Aegis (CCN/South Africa)
2004 - 2007 Team Leader, Operations, AOL Dimension Data
Education
2019 - 2019 Postgraduate Diploma, Business Management, Regent Business School
2016 - 2016 MAP, Business, Management Marketing & Related Support Services, Wits Business
Sean Snyman is an admitted and practising attorney specializing in labour law and labour litigation. He holds B Com (law), LLB and LLM (Labour Law) degrees and has been practising labour law for the last 33 years. He is one of the founding shareholders of LabourNet and is a current executive director of LabourNet, the largest industrial relations, human resources, occupational health and safety, payroll, POPI compliance and labour law consulting business in South Africa, which currently has in excess of 6 000 employer clients in all sectors of the economy across the entire country. Sean is the proprietor of the specialist labour law attorneys’ firm Snyman attorneys. Sean regularly himself conducts and appears in precedent setting cases in the Labour Court, Labour Appeal Court and Constitutional Court, and has appeared on several radio and television programmes on issues of labour law. Sean is also a regular speaker at seminars on labour law, for various organizations, across the country. Sean has also been contracted to consult and attend to several collective labour law issues and disputes on behalf of a number of industry organizations and corporates. Sean is also a member of SASLAW and has served on the Gauteng Chapter Committee since 2014, and after that on the National Committee, and is currently the National President of SASLAW. Sean was also one of the founding participants in the ground breaking SASLAW pro bono Labour Court advice centre. Sean also is a regular acting Judge in the Labour Court, having so acted every year since 2012 to date and has written a number of reported and precedent setting judgments. Sean has also acted as a Judge in the Gauteng High Court.
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